Garage door operators



Aug. 10, 1965 A. WEINSTEIN 3,199,153

GARAGE DOQR OPERATORS Filed Nov. 29, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor:

ALBERT WEINSTEIN 1965 A. WEINSTEIN 3,199,153

GARAGE DOOR OPERATORS Filed Nov. 29, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 23 n Inventor:

l2 ALBERT WElNSTElN United States Patent h s invention relates to new and useful improvements in remotely controlled door operators, and in particular the invention concerns itself with an apparatus for automatically opening a garage door upon approach of an automobile thereto.

There are, of course, numerous devices known in the art for operating garage doors by a remote control which is automatically responsive to the approach of a vehicle, but such conventional devices usually embody electric motors, solenoids, photoelectric cells, radio transmitters, electronic circuits, complicated mechanical linkage or transmission, and the like. As a result, they are of a complex character, expensive to purchase, difficult to install and likely to get out of order, so that the use of such conventional devices is usually limited to special installa ions where the aspects of cost, placement and maintenance are of little moment. As such these conventional devices are obviously unsuitable for use with garage doors of private homes or for installation by socalled Do-lt-Yourself enthusiasts.

i is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide an extremely simple, fully self-contained and highly dependable apparatus for automatically opening a garage door in response to the approach of an automobile, the apparatus being such as to lend itself to convenient and economical manufacture, very low purchasing cost, and easy installation on arage doors of different conventional types, without requirement of skilled labor.

An important feature of the invention resides in the self-contained nature of the apparatus which makes it completely unnecessar for it to be connected to a source of electric current or any other external energy source, the apparatus being operated solely by air pressure from Wheel thereover as the vehicle approaches the arage door. Thus, the apparatus of the invention is evoid of electrical or electronic components and reuires no electric energy for its operation.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

ZGURE l is a perspective view, largely schematic and partly broken awa showing the invention in association with a garage door;

2 is an enlarged perspective view of the door latch and fiuid operator with their unitary holder;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the door catch;

is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, showing the holder with the latch and fluid operator and also showing the catch applied to a door illustrated by dotted lines;

FEGURE 5 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the fluid reservoir and its associated hose; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view, partly in vertical ection and partly in elevation, of the holder, latch, door atch and means for releasing the latch from the catch rorn the inside of the door.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, more particularly to FIGURE 1, the reference numeral it? designates a typical garage having a door opening ice provided with a door frame ill and with a door 12. The latter is of any suitable conventional construction commonly known as an overhead door, which is movable between a closed position and an open position and is biased toward its open position by any suitable conventional means. In the instance illustrated, the biasing means assume the form of a torsion spring 13 on a shaft 14 which also carries a drum 15, a cable 16 being windable on the drum and connected to the door 12 as for example at 17, it being understood that when the door is moved to its closed position, energy is stored in the spring 13 which energy is subsequently used to move the door to its open position when means which hold the door closed are released, as will be hereinafter described. The door biasing means may also assume the form of tension springs or weights, it being also understood that the biasing means and the door structure itself form no part of the present invention other than in combination therewith and that any conventional door structure with biasing means may be utilized. Also, suitable guides or runways are provided for the door, but these have been omitted in the illustration for sake of simplicity.

The invention comprises a fully self-contained, remotely controlled device for releasably retaining the door 12 in its closed position, the arrangement being such that when the retaining device is released in response to the presence of an approaching vehicle, the door is automatically opened by the biasing means 13. Of course, after the vehicle has been driven into the garage, the door is returned to its closed position by hand.

As detailed in FIGURES 2-5, the device of the invention comprises a unitary holder 2%) which is substantially L-shaped in elevation and channel-shaped or U-shaped in cross section, the holder including a vertical portion 24% and a horizontal portion 28 at the lower end of the vertical portion. The entire holder Ell is secured in a fixed position adjacent the door 12, as for example by being disposed eXteriorly of the door and attached by a pair of screws 21, 22 to the door frame ll, these screws passing transversely through the vertical portion 20 of the holder, as illustrated. However, if preferred, the holder may also be mounted on the door frame inside the door, as will be readily apparent.

An elongated latch 2.": is provided intermediate the ends thereof with a pair of apertured ears 24%, whereby it may be pivotally mounted on the vertical portion 2% of the holder, as for example, by passing the mounting screw 21 through the apertured ears, the screw Zll thus being utilized for both, attaching the holder to the door frame and for pivotal mounting of the latch. A tubular spacer 25 may be provided on the screw 21 between the cars 2 if desirable or necessary. The upper end portion of the latch 23 is longitudinally or axially twisted as at 23' and is formed with a hook-shaped extremity including a cam surface as and an underlying notch or recess 27, as will be clearly apparent.

The notch 27 of the latch 23 is adapted to receive the ein a projecting portion 28' of a catch 28 which is secured to the door 12. as by suitable screws 29, the catch portion 23 being received in the notch 27 when the door is closed, so that the latch 23 retains the door in its closed position, despite the biasing action of the means 13. The upper end portion of the latch is urged toward the catch 23 by a compression spring 3%), one end of which is secured by a bolt, nut and washer assembly 31 to the latch 23 at a point below the fulcrum screw Zll. The spring 3% is disposed in the holder portion 29' and abuts the latter as shown, thus urging the upper end portion of the latch toward the catch, as aforesaid. It will be apparent that during the closing movement of the door, the catch portion 28' will come into engagement with the cam surface 26 of the latch, thus moving the latch away from the catch as indicated by the arrow 32 and ultimately permitting retaining engagement of the latch with the catch by action of the spring 30 which moves the latch toward the catch so that'the catch portion 28 is received in the notch 27. Disengagernent of the latch from the catch is effected by 'a fluid pressure actuator which includes a fluid operator 33, a fluid reservoir 34 and a connecting flexible tube 35. The fluid operator $3 consists of an air cylinder which is positioned in the horizontal portion 207 of the holder and is retained therein in any suitable manner, as for example, by being press-fitted and frictionally held in place, or by clamps, screws, or the like, (not shown). The air cylinder of the operator contains a piston 36 and a piston rod 37, the latter abutting the lower end portion of the latch 23. The latch 23 is not physically connected to the piston rod, but is urged into engagement therewith by the aforementioned spring 3th. The outer end of the air cylinder is provided with an adapter 38 for connection to the flexible hose 35, the latter being shown as passing outwardly through a notch 39 formed in the outer end wall of the holder portion a The fluid reservoir 34 is in the form 'of a resiliently compressible tubular member, such as for example, a length of rubber tubing or hose. It is preferably of a considerably larger diameter than the flexible hose 35, to which it is connected by an adapter 4t) provided in one end of the reservoir. The other end of the reservoir is suitably closed, as by a plug 41.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the reservoir 34 is positioned on the ground or driveway 4 2 at some distance from the garage door 12, so that it lies in the path of travel of an automobile wheel as the automobile approaches the garage door. As a practical matter, the reservoir need not extend fully across the driveway and need be long enough to reach only under one side of the vehicle.

When the device is placed in use, the latch 23 normally engages the catch 28 and thus retains the door 12 in its closed position. However, when an automobile approaches the garage door and one of its wheels passes over the fluid reservoir 34, the latter becomes compressed and air under pressure is delivered therefrom through the hose 35 into the air cylinder 33. There the air'pressure slides the piston 36 and piston rod 37 which presses the lower end of the latch 23 in the direction of the arrow 43, correspondingly moving the upper end of the latch as at 32 and disengaging the latch from the catch 28. The door 12 is then free to move upwardly as at 44 from its closed to its open position by the door biasing means 13. After the vehicle is driven into the garage, the door 12 is manually lowered to its closed position, at which time the catch 28 again becomes engaged by the latch.

In instances where the latch is mounted at the outside of the door as illustrated herein, it is desirable to provide means for unlatching the door from the inside, as for example, prior to taking the automobile out of the garage. Such means, as one embodiment, are shown in FIGURE 6, wherein a 'pin or plunger 45 extends slidably through a bore or aperture formed in the door and in the catch 28. The outer end of the pin carries a suitable head 46 while its inner end is provided with a push button 47, a compression spring 48 being interposed between the push button and the door 12 to normally hold the pin in its retracted position, as shown. However, by pressing the button 47 at the inside of the door as shown by the arrow 49, the pin is caused to slideoutwardly and the pin head 46 displaces the latch 23 from the catch 28 to facilitate opening of the door by the biasing means 13, quite independently of actuation of the latchby the fluid pressure operator. I 7

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. 7

What is claimed as new is:

The combination of a door movable between a closed position and an open position, means biasing said door toward its open position, and fully self-contained remotely actuated means for releasably retaining the door in its closed position, said last mentioned means comprising a catch carried by said door, a latch movably mounted adjacent the door andengageable with said catch when the door is closed, resilient means biasing said latch into engagement with said catch, a fluid pressure actuator for said latch, said actuator including a resiliently compressible fluid reservoir positioned in;the path of travel of a vehicle approachingsaid door, a fluid operator connected to said reservoir, a unitary holder for mounting said latch and said fluid operator adjacent said door, said fluid operator having a movable member in operative engagement with said latch for disengaging the latch from said catch when fluid under pressure is delivered to said operator upon compression of said reservoir, a flexible hose connecting said fluid operator to said reservoir, said reservoir comprising a length of resiliently compressible tubing closed at one end and having said hose connected to its other end, said tubing being of a substantially larger diameter than said hose,'said latch and said catch being disposed exteriorly of said door, and means manually operable from the interior of the door for disengaging said latch from said catch independently of actuation of said remotely actuated means.

References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,396,610 3/46 Schultze 268-61 3,096,815 7 7/ 3 May 268-42 FOREIGN PATENTS 530,189 12/40 Great Britain.

CHARLES E. 'OCONNELL, Primary Examiner. HARRISON R. lbiOSELEY, Examiner. 

